Ruby was somewhat surprised to receive a text from Coco Adel. For one, it was the middle of class, and the professors at Atlas were nowhere near as lenient for texting out of term. But more importantly, Ruby wasn't expecting to hear from Coco at all. She fully anticipated Team CFVY to cut contact with them after the drama came out. If their goal was to lead a normal life at the Academies until graduation, she doubted they would join with them now. Yet, Coco seemed eager to speak with her, on the condition it was one-on-one. Leader-to-leader. Ruby was generous enough to respect that wish.

Ruby found her during the lunch hour. While the hundreds of cadets bussed about with their grey metal treys full of unidentifiable meat, Coco Adel was leaning against the wall of the mess hall, shades down, beret slightly tipped, cool as a cucumber. One leg was kicked up against the wall, her Academy jacket was draped off her shoulders, and her arms were crossed over her chest. Ruby thought someone should take a photograph because she was sure no one would ever look as cool as Coco Adel did at that exact moment. When she approached Coco, the second-year student barely acknowledged her. Ruby awkwardly leaned up against the wall, trying to mimic her relaxed posture.

She looked out ahead at the many students walking about their lives. Many of them actively ignored her. Those who didn't seem disgusted. All of the publicity, all the attacks on their Kingdom, even on their most corrupt, weighed heavily on them. No matter how hard she tried, she would still be an outsider. In a sense, it was no different than in Beacon. Only now, she cared far less for what the average student thought of her.

"So," Coco said plainly, her voice cutting through the echoing chatter of the mess hall, "I saw the news about Weiss's dad."

Ruby nodded gently. "Yeah."

"Taking down an evil billionaire. Gonna be honest… didn't see that one coming."

"Technically, neither did we," Ruby admitted. "It all happened pretty fast."

"You definitely know how to make things happen; I'll give you that. It's actually a little scary."

"Scary?"

"I mean, awesome, too, and brave… and stupid. Really stupid. But also terrifying."

Ruby let out a small laugh. "That is how it feels sometimes. It's overwhelming, sometimes, thinking of how much power we hold over the world. But I suppose it's better us than someone else, right?"

"That's what everyone who has power thinks," Coco reasoned. "The big problem with the world is that no one doubts the authenticity of their own judgment. Everyone knows they can do better. They should be the ones calling the shots. Anything gets justified as long as the right people are doing it."

"We're not trying to grab power," Ruby explained. "We were just doing what we needed to survive."

"Never said otherwise," Coco pointed out. "Just thinking… that's all. Been doing a lot of that lately." She sighed, pulling off her sunglasses and wiping them clean on her sleeve. She took a deep breath and pushed her head back into the concrete, rolling it lazily to her shoulder. "Everyone on my team wants to join you. Velvet was… campaigning, I guess you could say. They don't trust Ozpin anymore, and they'll feel safer working with you and JNPR."

"But… you don't?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know what I think," Coco said somberly. She twirled her glasses by their stem, never once looking Ruby in the eye. "I became a Huntress to make my family's life better. I didn't sign up for any of this bullshit. That goes for Ozpin and all this Fable stuff. Now, it feels like I have to pick between two paths I really don't want to take."

"I'm sorry. Truly," Ruby sighed. "When I said I never wanted to drag you into this, I meant it."

"I don't think you're a bad person, Ruby. Don't get me wrong: I think you're a nice kid, really. But this? Fighting Grimm? Uncovering ancient secrets? Overthrowing billionaires? I'm turning nineteen next month. I'm not the kind of person who should be getting involved with these things."

Ruby sensed a but, and waited patiently for Coco to continue.

"But… I can't just go back to pretending it doesn't exist, either, and I can't stand around and do nothing while there are people out there who need my help. It feels like I'm not allowed to say no, and honestly? That sucks so much, and I'm kind of mad at you even though I probably shouldn't be. Because, it's not your fault. You were just being honest. And hell, the dudes spied on my dorm. I can't just let that slide because I want some sense of normalcy." Coco grunted. "And then I turn on the news, and suddenly, you're out there taking out evil businessmen like it's a normal Tuesday night. And now I'm thinking… can I even afford to get on this person's bad side."

"Coco, we would never—"

"I know, I know," Coco reassured her. "It's all just… irritating. I know I'm going to end up working with you, and I don't feel like I have any control over it. My team, my emotions, my moral compass… it's like I'm being dragged into this by a part of myself I don't want to listen to, like I'm boxed in. I'm claustrophobic—I literally hate being boxed in. Again, you're not monsters, and you're absolutely the better of the two options. But I don't trust you. I can't. You're fucking crazy… and yes, I know you're probably right, but it's still crazy! It's that… if I'm joining a cause, I want it to be because I truly believe in it. And I don't think I believe in you, Ruby. Not yet."

Ruby shrugged her shoulders, going back to people-watching. She thought Coco's rejection would sting, but it was more understandable than she expected. Taking that next step was too much for most people. It was arguably too much for her. If so many people hadn't forced her hand, she would still be the timid child doubting her worthiness to enter Beacon. She wasn't interested in pushing Coco, not to the edge. She nodded once more at the older student, speaking gently so as to not scare her away again.

"I don't know if I believe in myself, sometimes," Ruby stated. "I look at the world around me, and think… how am I doing this? Why should I do this? Whatever this Rosaline curse is, I didn't ask for it either. But, what keeps me going… I mean, what keeps me sane, is knowing that I can make the world better than the way I found it. There are monsters out there trying to hurt the people I care about. I have a responsibility to keep them safe. It helps keep me grounded when the universe tries to sweep me off my feet. I'd like to keep you safe, too, Coco. Your whole team, as well. I understand that I might not have your trust yet, but I promise I will do everything in my power to earn it. You deserve to fight for a cause you believe in."

Coco slowly put her sunglasses back on. She shoved her hands into her jacket pocket, feeling the still Atlasian air against her skin. After a long moment, she finally turned toward Ruby.

"My team already believes in you, Ruby. For now, that'll be enough."

She extended her hand. Ruby shook it firmly.

"Thank you, Coco. You don't know how much that means to me."

"You're welcome," Coco said with an approving smirk. She released her grip, pushed herself off the wall, and prepared to leave before she suddenly stopped herself. "Oh, just one last thing. Next time you topple a billionaire, give me a heads-up. I wasn't kidding when I said that was awesome."

Ruby smiled back. "Duly noted."

Coco disappeared into the crowd of hungry Atlasian students. Ruby sunk to the floor and breathed a sigh of relief. The alliance was shaky, but it was finally here. RWBY. JNPR. CFVY. Twelve students united against the authorities that tried to control them. All they needed now was to assert their power. Fortunately, that plan was already underway…

"When Jacques would discuss his plans with me, he often had the courtesy of meeting in person."

"With all due respect, James, I'm not Jacques Schnee. The sooner you understand that, the better."

Ironwood pursed his lips. He stared into the holographic image of Winter Schnee projected on his desk, her expression equally as stoic and unimpressed His room was dark save for the fleeting rays of natural sunlight behind him, cast his face in duller shadows than usual. Even his fireplace was silent as the warmth of the negotiation had vanished. When he first heard the news of Winter's coup, he thought it was an elaborate joke. Jacques had promised him numerous times her condition was incurable. The moment he heard Team RWBY was involved, he was forced to take the situation seriously—so seriously, in fact, he refused Ozpin's presence despite the Beacon's Headmaster's insistence. Ozpin was too emotionally attached to those girls. They needed an objective perspective, one rooted in experience and reason.

Ironwood furrowed his brow. Winter called him by his first name.

She wasn't supposed to do that.

Ever.

"Jacques called me for help this morning. Were you aware of that?" Ironwood said, hiding his frustration with a polite smile.

"I was not."

"He called on me to protect him from the consequences of his actions. He wanted me to respect the legacy of our partnership. And now, you are calling me, asking to cast all of those years aside."

"Jacques's legacy isn't what you care about. The vast majority of his wealth was tied in his shares. If you want the continued support he provided, you'll have to work with me."

That much was clear, though Ironwood was not keen on revealing the strength of Winter's hand. He needed to feed off her inexperience and make her question her judgment. Millions were at stake if he failed.

"Your father and I had an excellent arrangement. We would support each other's endeavors, when necessary, yes, but we also understood when to stay out of the other's way. Knowing when to pull your punches is a skill I thought you learned long ago."

"It was," Winter confessed. "This is the time for change, James. I'm not interested in playing games anymore. As I'm sure you heard, cleaning up the reputation of the Schnee Dust Company is my primary concern. That includes reviewing any existing partnerships the public may be unaware of."

"The public doesn't seem too impressed. Shares are still down eighteen percent from the scandal you caused. Be very careful not to bite the hand that feeds."

"Trust me. I'm already well-fed. Father was concerned with infinite potential for growth and his own legacy. He let himself be persuaded by irrelevant parties. I have no such obligations. Quite frankly, if I have to burn down the SDC to remove the infestation, I would be perfectly satisfied."

"And your shareholders—"

"Don't have my voting power. As I said, irrelevant parties."

Winter was everything a Huntress should be. Determined. Honorable. Proud. Above all else, brimming with integrity. He had trained her well.

Dammit.

"So then why did you call?" Ironwood asked impatiently. "Did you just intend to brag about your new position? Aren't I one of those irrelevant parties?"

"For the SDC? Of course. There won't be much need for you to turn a blind eye. This isn't about me, however. It's about my girls."

Ironwood sneered. Of all the traits for her to inherit from her father, that stupid term remained. Her girls. How anyone would feel affection for Team RWBY was beyond him, but again, now was not the time for irrationality.

"What about them?"

"You know what."

"You want me to leave them alone?"

"More than that."

"More? What does Team RWBY think I—"

"Actually, not just Team RWBY. Hold on for one moment…" Winter looked through her text messages and stared awkwardly at the screen as if trying to decipher another language. "This also applies to Team… Jun-Per, and Team…. C-F-V-Y? I'm not even going to guess what that is."

It was the first Ironwood heard of CFVY's involvement, and he stifled a grunt.

"Team RWBY wants to leverage their power to help their friends," he reasoned aloud. "Unsurprising."

"They want protection," Winter explained. "The deal you had with my father? That was insufficient."

"I gave them everything they wanted. They maintained their social status and media presence and avoided punishments that would have expelled lesser students. I allowed them to leave the Academy grounds on several occasions. Is that not enough?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not a fool, James, and neither are they," Winter explained carefully. "I know how your mind works. I've been in the system my entire life. On the surface, you gave them what they wanted, but you were never satisfied with the deal. You were actively searching for ways to undermine Team RWBY from the start. You even threatened to have Ruby and her friends expelled under false pretenses just a few weeks ago."

The grunt that Ironwood held back could no longer be contained. Of course, Ruby told Winter everything. Why wouldn't she? The girl finally had an ally she could trust, and pitting them against one another seemed an increasingly unlikely option.

"I also know that several of their family members are in vulnerable positions," Winter continued. "I wouldn't put it past you to attack them as a covert operation, and then try to play off your involvement after the fact. I also wouldn't be surprised if you tried leaking damaging information about my girls to the press. Let's be honest—if I hadn't come forward with Team RWBY's connection to Jacques, you would have had the story up by tomorrow."

When Ruby revealed the truth about Rosaline, Ironwood concocted a scheme. Ozpin's manipulations were too bold, too sloppy. He had allowed himself to become an enemy, and Team RWBY's resistance to their influences had only grown like a tumor. He understood that to destroy Team RWBY, he would have to let them destroy themselves. Their connection to Jacques had formed an early opportunity to strike, but there were others. Public slip-ups. Foolish tactical decisions. Subterfuge so subtle Team RWBY could never suspect it. He had a plan. He always had a plan.

And now, Winter was about to blow that plan up like fireworks.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"I'm glad to hear that," Winter grinned. "And since you would never do such things, you wouldn't mind taking active measures to prevent such damaging events from happening. Understand, James, that your mere compliance is no longer sufficient. If anything happens to Team RWBY, or any of their loved ones—if I so much as hear a rumor that you tried to undermine them, I will pull all of my support in a heartbeat."

Boom.

"That's absurd," Ironwood challenged her. "Random events do occur, you know. If Yang Xiao Long's mother has a sudden heart attack, are you truly going to hold me accountable? Or if Blake Belladonna trips up and has her sordid past revealed to the public?"

"Then you better make sure that doesn't happen," Winter said calmly. "You have a vast intelligence network at your disposal, James. You've covered up scandals far more important than the words of a few teenagers. Maybe you could use that?"

Ironwood scoffed at the notion. "You're suggesting I use government funds—the vast resources of Atlas at my disposal—to serve as PR for celebrity Huntresses?"

"I'm suggesting there are consequences if Team RWBY fails. Don't worry, I'll do my best to keep them out of trouble as well. I have enough on my plate as it is. But my father tolerated your passive resistance because he found Team RWBY beneath him. I do not. My sister's well-being is of grave importance to me. I will not tolerate the disrespect you and Ozpin have shown them in the past."

It took a very brave and very foolish woman to talk of someone else's disrespect while acting so brashly. Winter Schnee was a prodigal Huntress, skilled with a blade and a gun, but she was too direct for her own good. It was what cost her two limbs in the God's Arm, what led her to engage in a fruitless rebellion against her father. Ironwood had wanted to exploit her naivety, but her tactlessness left him with little room to maneuver. Did she truly expect him to dedicate himself to supporting Team RWBY from the shadows? He was unsure. Winter did not mince words, but even she didn't fully comprehend the scope of what she demanded. Unfortunately, she had already proven she was fine with destroying the status quo. He wasn't interested in losing his head.

"I'm not interested in starting fights with you, Winter," Ironwood said, straightening out his collar. "I consider this the start of a fresh relationship. I hope it will prove a mutually beneficial one."

"So do I," Winter stated, "because I'm not actually done yet."

When Winter was finished, she called Team RWBY to tell them the good news. She wasn't expecting to see so many people on the other end. Both Team JNPR and Team CFVY were hanging around their dorm room, chatting among themselves, laughing, and sharing stories. Almost like they were friends. That was weird, considering Team RWBY didn't have any friends. When she started explaining her meeting with Ironwood, they all huddled around Ruby's Scroll, their numerous heads weaving in and out of frame. If she had to start remembering their names, she wouldn't call again.

"…access to the Rosaline documents, under supervision… a guarantee of your and Yang's father's pension… and with the aforementioned funds dedicated toward generating Atlasian media support, I believe that's everything." Winter closed the list, sighing as she finally finished going over her notes. "Twenty-two. Those were the concessions he agreed to."

"Excellent," Ruby said cheerfully. Winter's hardball strategy was highly effective. She could only imagine Ozpin blubbering like a baby once he heard how many protections they secured. "I cannot thank you enough for all of your help."

"You're right. You can't," Winter acknowledged. "One thing you should know. I inquired about Penny Polendina, as you requested."

"And?"

"He was unwilling to negotiate on that issue. I apologize."

Ruby muttered something ugly under her breath. Ridiculous. Ironwood would give up classified documents on a silver platter, but he wasn't letting to remove the leash from his pet project. No matter her current feelings toward Penny, or Penny's current refusal to help her, it was still her fault the cyborg was in this mess. She considered storming to Ironwood's office and threatening him herself. Walk up to his smug face and say, "If you think of hurting Penny, I'll hurt you in ways you couldn't imagine." She wasn't sure she had that in her, and Ironwood would likely laugh her off. For now, she would have to accept the concessions she currently received and move on. Penny's safety would remain a haunting failure floating in her mind.

"I appreciate you trying," Ruby sighed. "You've done more than enough for us. We're not sure if we can ever repay you."

"Just don't squander the opportunity you have," Winer stated. "You never know what will happen tomorrow. You four—or I guess, you twelve—have more power than arguably any other group of Huntsmen in modern history. Don't waste it."

"We won't," Weiss promised, pressing her cheek against Ruby's to stick it into the frame. "Good luck with everything."

"Good luck—"

Winter was moments from logging off, when Yang suddenly jumped into the picture, forcing Ruby and Weiss out of the way. She screamed excitedly. "Hey, what about my thing?"

"You're thing?"

"My thing! You know…" Yang winked suggestively, and Ruby had to scramble before she was lost.

"I'm sorry, what? What's happening?"

Winter groaned. "Oh, yes. That. I knew I was forgetting something. Ironwood agreed."

Yang threw up her fist in celebration. "Woohoo!"

"Seriously? What thing?" asked Ruby. She was concerned until she saw how huge and innocent Yang's smile was, though she still didn't care for being out of the loop.

"Well, I was just thinking," Yang explained, "we've all been through so much lately. We're burned out from our training, and all the constant scheming can't be good for our mental health. So, I may have asked Winter to sneak in another request to Ironwood."

"Yes, and he was very upset about it," Winter noted. "Somehow, he was more upset by that than the classified documents."

"Vytal is going to be coming up at the end of the month. Finals shortly after. We don't know when something Grimm-related will happen again," Yang teased, building up the anticipation to a fever pitch. "It is that time of the year, sun's coming out again, and we got lots of money to spend. So, I thought… why don't the twelve of us get a vacation?"

The room erupted.

"A vacation?"

"Spring Break, baby!" Yang said triumphantly, throwing up her arms in celebration. "Just like we used to have at Signal."

"Seven days of shore leave," Winter informed them. "You're allowed to leave the Atlas Academy premises unsupervised. He wants to keep a closer eye on you when you return, but from the 5th through the 12th, you have your holiday."

Ruby couldn't believe it. Hell, none of them could. They were getting a break—an honest-to-god break. No fighting. No conspiracies. No schemes. No media. Just each other and a lot of well-deserved sun. The rest of them were in shock. Pyrrha looked like she had a thousand-pound weight taken off her shoulders. Coco was grinning like an idiot, as her perfectly timed cooperation proved to be the best decision of her entire life. Even Blake seemed less cynical than usual. She was still pouting, probably thinking of ways their vacation would go wrong, but her tough exterior started to melt away under the idea of relaxing in the sun.

Yang already had the broad strokes of the plan worked out, and with Weiss's help, they quickly constructed their itinerary. The Schnees owned a private villa on the eastern coast of Vacuo—a gorgeous, ten-bedroom beachfront property on a crescent-shaped cove, far away from prying ideas. Though they had short notice, they would pack their things and fly out on Winter's ship, arriving early the morning of the 5th. They would swim, dine, dance, and do whatever the hell they wanted. One week of pure, uninterrupted bliss, free from Ozpin and Ironwood and all their restrictions. One week before they had to return and prepare for Vytal.

RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY were going on vacation. It would be one week they'd never forget—for all the right reasons.

Note: No, this is not a joke. I'm no setting up some darker twist or storyline. I'm not being sarcastic. The next side-arc is Team RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY going on a beach vacation. Why? Because they deserve some fun in the sun, and also I want to write something dumb and fluffy and uplifting after sixty chapters of misery. So we're doing some beach chapters. I'm dead fucking serious.

And guess what? You can join in the fun, too! They got seven whole days of vacation, and I want to fill it with as many memories as possible. Put your suggestion down in the comments below for what you want to see, and I'll consider adding it! You can also join my Discord server, where other Flames fans have been giving their suggestions (and where you can read all this stuff early wink nudge wink).

Join us there, and get ready for some surf and sand. Thanks y'all. Love ya.

Discord Server ID: /CjAUaGZuBQ